press release

A dream-like tale

A brother and sister have conflicting memories of their childhood. Their mother told them a particular story – Sealskin – and told it often, this much they agree. But why she told it, what it meant, and why the story still reverberates so much later in their lives – these are questions to be negotiated with care. Their father’s death prompts them to re-tell their mother’s version of the traditional Sealskin tale in a quest to understand.

The play unfolds through a series of conversations, e-mails, bursts of dynamic story-telling, songs, images and sounds as brother and sister strain towards a resolution.

“Sealskin draws us into a dream-like tale of blue moon nights and underwater adventure and contrasts this with the problems of communication in the 21st century. The juxtaposition of these two worlds is intricately balanced and, combined with superb acting, is a highly captivating experience.” Behind The Fringe, 2009

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A brother and sister sift through their memories of a significant story told to them in childhood by their mother which gradually reveals to them the secrets of their parents’ relationship and which puts pressure on their sibling bonds.

Brought together by their father’s death, the brother and sister re-tell the traditional Sealskin story, interwoven with emotionally-charged personal interchanges and family stories – both past and present - as the siblings re-examine events that both bind and separate them.

Their story unfolds through a mix of naturalistic dialogue, heightened story-telling, soulful singing and extravagant gesture.